To me, it wouldn’t be the holiday season without peppermint bark. There’s no other confection that makes me feel instantly festive in every way.

The moment I see the iconic red-and-white stripes of a Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark SQUARE is the moment I really start celebrating the season. It’s something I look forward to all year!

I just can’t get enough of those SQUARES! That creamy yet crunchy bite is oh so satisfying. Not to mention the refreshing peppermint flavor paired with sweet chocolate. There’s no better way to indulge during the most wonderful time of year.

Whether you find them stashed away in my home office, or loaded up in our Christmas stockings, we take full advantage of the limited peppermint bark season.

Recently, however, my favorite way to enjoy these heavenly SQUARES has been to melt them into hot cocoa.

That’s right, you can take Peppermint Bark SQUARES and melt them into any hot cocoa. It instantly intensifies your cocoa, giving it a burst of peppermint flavor. What could be better? Cozying up to the Christmas tree with a mug of something warm and sweet is the ultimate way to enjoy the season.

How to make

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

My recipe for homemade Peppermint Hot Cocoa is super easy yet flavorful and can be made into adorable DIY edible gifts. Printable recipe cards and gift tags included below!

Ingredients

1 1/2cupsheavy cream

2cupswhole milk

1/4cup(50 grams) granulated sugar

1/2cup(43 grams) Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8teaspoonsalt

5Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark SQUARES, chopped

For serving:

Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares

Mini marshmallows, if desired

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Heat over medium-low heat. When the cream mixture just begins to steam, add the chopped chocolate, and stir, until melted. Divide the hot chocolate among 4 mugs and top with marshmallows.

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe byTessa

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Your recipes have become some of our family favorites. This doesn’t disappoint. We discovered Ghirardelli makes these into “chips”. Add them to your favorite chocolate cookie dough recipe and you have a quick holiday cookie.

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